Why Didn't God Answer My Prayer

Following college I served a term as a missionary in Africa along with my new husband, Tim. Those were trying years, but we learned some valuable lessons that are still valuable to us more than 30 years later. Here is a story about one of the most memorable lessons.

I remember a trip that Tim and I had planned. We were setting out to visit some friends of ours who were also missionaries and it involved a long drive to get there. We had prepared everything in advance. We had our directions - there were no street signs in those areas, and certainly no GPS or Google Maps to get us where we were going! There were also no stores or places where we could stop for directions if we got lost.

The car was loaded with our belongings, enough gasoline for the trip there and back, lunches, snacks, and lots of items that we were transporting to the friends we were to visit. But less than an hour from home, the car began to sputter and spit, and just refused to run right.

Tim looked at the engine and tried a few things to see if it would help, but with no success. We stopped to pray and ask for God's help to get the car fixed and to help us make the rest of the trip. When it became clear that the car wasn't going to cooperate, we turned around and headed home. I was sad and confused as to why God didn't answer our prayer so the trip would go on.

After returning home we had a mechanic check out the car. He was amazed at what he found and he told us we were lucky to be alive! The gas line was leaking right down into the engine and he couldn't believe that the engine hadn't exploded already. If we had made the rest of the trip, tragedy would have almost certainly happened.

We were stunned! God knew what our need was even though we didn't. He answered our prayer by making it impossible for us to continue our trip successfully, and by giving us the wisdom to turn around and head home. How thankful we were for His goodness!

Thank you Lord for looking out for Tim and me on that trip. It amazes me that you are all-knowing and that you look out for our best interests.